Facebook launches Live Game Shows

Facebook announced a series of changes to its live-streaming, notably an HQ Trivia-like game-show platform, aimed at expanding the kinds of offerings that content creators can use on its social network.

To date, Facebook Live videos have largely offered users a passive viewing experience. You mostly just sit there, watch, and occasionally hit the like button to show your support during the video’s duration. But Facebook says its Interactive Show Experiences will enable video creators and publishers to add polls to videos, as well as other elements such as multiple choice options, player eliminations, and cash prizes. “This will help a range of formats come to life, like a live trivia show where fans compete to see who knows the most about a particular topic or perhaps a direct competition between creators and their superfans on a topic of choice,” wrote Facebook in a post describing the new features.

It’s easy to imagine how HQ’s addictive trivia app (and its humble host) might have inspired Facebook to launch these tools. Facebook is not exactly shy about copying its competitors, so launching a service to steal some of HQ Trivia’s magic wouldn’t be out of character for the company. Still, Facebook has yet to prove if people actually want their feeds filled with old and new takes on the trivia show format.

Interested in starting your own trivia show about, I don’t know, Japanese robot anime from the late 1970s? You can request more information about Facebook’s Interactive Show Experiences and hope the company gets back to